Slider for interlocking fasteners



March 25, 1930. E. w. Ru'rHERFoRD 1,752,111

SLIDER FOR INTERLOCKING FASTENERS Filed May 17, 1927 Patented Mar. 25, 1930' UNTITEDVTSTATES PATENT OFFECLF;

EUGENE RUTHERIEOIRD, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE SHOE HARDWARE COMPANY, OF WATERBUIRY, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CON- SLIDER FOR INTERLOCKING FASTENERS Application filed May 17,

the case of sliders made from sheet metal to utilize one or more rivets or other connections to givethe desired strength and rigidity to the slider, such strength and rigidity being particularly necessary to prevent spreading or opening of the top and bottom of the slider in the strains incident to use.-

An object of the present invention is to provide a strong, light, rigid, compact, cheap and rivetless slider from sheet material.

Other objects will appear from the detailed description and claims.

Without intention to limit the invention otherwise than as required by the prior art, the same consists in a sheet metal slider for multiple interlocking fasteners, comprising top and bottom sheet metal walls rigidly united by a sheet metal neck integral at all points with the top and bottom walls. It further consists in a hollow sheet metal neck 0 integral with the top and bottom walls, the

. inner surface of which divides the interior of objects of the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing, in which latter: Fig. I is a plan view of a blank at an initial stage of the process;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the blank in a succeeding step;

Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively side and end views of the blank at the next stage of manufacture;

Fig. 5 is a side vew of the blank at a still later stage;

1927. Serial No. 192,035.

Fig. 6 is a top plan View of the blank upon completion of the bending operation;

Fig. 7 is a central longitudinal section through Fig. 6; j i Fig. 8 is a plan view of a partially completed blank for a bail holder;

- Fig. 9 is a side view of the completed bail holder;

Fig. 10 is a top plan view of the slider body and bail holder in assembled relation, the bail being omitted;

F g. 11 is a top plan view of a slightly modified form of slider body;

Fig. 12 is a perspective of a modified form of bail holder for use with the slider body shown in Fig. 11;

13 is a perspective of a bail; and

Fig. '14: 1s a perspective of a complete slider of the form shown in Fig. 11.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown in Fig. 1 a blank 1 which may be died out in the form shown from sheet material. It is to be noted that the'sheet material used is plain and of uniform thickness throughout,

that is, without projections or reinforcements of any sort. The blank, as shown in Fig. 1,

is formed of two complementary portions 2,

designed to form the top and bottom of the completed slider, these portions being con- .nected at their ad'acent ends by a web 3 of the material, whic web is provided with the lateral extensions or ears 4 extending between the portions 2. It is to be noted that the top and bottom portions 2 of the blank taper in a uniform curve at their sides, as shown at 5. The blank is then operated upon to form the side flanges 6 on the portions 2, and one of the portions 2 which is to form the top of the completed slider is provided with the openings 7, one end wall of the opening being inclined as shown at 8 to form in eifect a semi-dovetail recess, this recess being utilized at a later stage in the process for securing a bail holder to the slider. The blank may then be bent over to about the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and the web 3' connecting the portions 2 is medially forced in by an appropriate tool to form a substantially wedge shape recess 3 as shown in Fig. 4. In the next step, the

portions 2 are further bent toward each other to the position shown in Fig. 5, and after this they are bent in a final step into parallel relation, asshown in Figs. 6 and 7 While it is preferred to bring the blank of Fig. l-into the finished shape shown in Figs. 6 and 7 by a series of operations, as this avoids undue strain and heat treatment of the metal, it is obvious that the shaping may be accomplished in a single or any otherfdesired number of operations, and the wedge shaped recess 3 may likewise be formed by any desired number of operations and either simultaneously with or separately from the bending of the top and bottom portions 2. It will be seen that in the completed form shown in Figs, 6 and 7, the top and bot-(tom portions 2 of the slider body are rigidly united by the V-shaped neck 3 enclosing within itthe wedge shape recess 3, and the ears or extensions 4 form continuations of the wall 3 of the neck. The neck 3 also divides the interior space between the top and bottom into converging channels through which the complementary slider elements may be guided into interlocking relation, and the curved flanges 6 at the outer edges of the top and bottom coact with the neck 3 in thus guiding and retaining the complementary slider elements.

In Fig. 8 there is shown a partially completed blank for a bail holder for the slider body. This blank 19 is formed in approximately U-shape, as shown, and provided along the outer edges of its side walls with the upturned flanges 20. On the inner side of the side walls are disposed opposed semidovetail projections 23, and the end wall of the blank is formed with cutaway portions 21 leaving between them the medially disp osed lug 22. The blank may be formed from sheet metal in a single operation or it may first be died out flat and the flanges 20 then turned up. In the next step, the blank is folded over along the longitudinal axis running centrally through the lug 22 in such manner as to bring its two side strip portions in superposition with their flanges 20 projecting outwardly, as shown in Fig. 9. This folding step brings the two semi-dovetail projections 23 into superposition, and the end wall of the U shape blank is folded over upon itself to form the superposed complementary' extensions .or projections 24 integrally united at their outer ends, while the two recesses 21 and the folded over lug 22 forms a recess 25 in the rear walls of the superposed extensions 24:. The locking projections 23 are then disposed in the opening 7 of the slider body with the extension 24 disposed in the wedge shape opening 3, and the ears or extensions 4 of the slider body are then bent over about the lug 22 and into the recess 25 at the rear ofthe extensions 3 24 of the bail holder to produce the assembly shown in Fig". 10. The bail for the slider may be similar to the one shown in Fi 13 but with an opening in the rear Wall 0 the opening 38 to fit over the body 19 of the bail holder below the flanges 20. The bail may be either slid over the flanges 20 before the bail holder is attached to the slider body, or instead the bail may be provided with straight ears at its rear end and these ears bent over the flanges 20 after the bail holder has been secured to the slider.

In Fig. 11 there is shown a slightly modified slider 26 which is formed from the same shape blank as the previously described embodiment, but in the modification the bail holder and the manner of securing it to the slider body are somewhat different. The top made from a single strip 30 of sheet metal which is cut away at one end as shown at 32 to form the dovetail projection 31. At the other end the strip is reduced in size as shown at 33 by cutting away its'sides to thereby form shoulders 34, and at the end it is split or cut as shown at 35. The ends of the strip are then bent up at right angles to form a short extension at the end having the dovetail projection 31 and a longer extension at the other end. The bail holder is then applied to the slider body by inserting the dovetail projection 31 in the opening 27 and the projection 33 in the Wedge shape opening 3 Upon forcing the bail holder downwardly, the shoulders 32 engage the ears 29 and force them down into the plane of theslider top to thereby lock the dovetail projection 31 in the recess 27. The cars or extensions 4 are then bent over the projection 33 and the split end of the projection 33 is spread to lock it beneath the ears 4:. Previous to inserting the bail holder in the slider, the opening 38 of the bail 36 is passed over the holder so that the completed article appears as shown in Fig. 14. The bail is curved as shown in Fig. 13 and provided with the ridges 37 or other roughening to enable it to be readily gripped by the fingers of the user. As before stated, the bail when used with the bail holder shown in Fig. 9, is provided with an opening extending rearwardly from the opening 38 in order s to permit the bail to pass over the body 19 of the'bail holder and around the flanges 20.

, It will be seen that by my invention a slider has been provided which-is light, requires a minimum amount of parts, material and operations in its manufacture, is cheap, rigid and easy to operate. As previously pointed out, there is a strain imposed upon sliders for interlocking fasteners tending to spread.

the top and bottom of the slider, and to offset this, it has been customary to either make theslider body from a heavy piece of metal by machining or to make it in several machined parts or from sheet material and to then reinforce the slider with rivets or other fasteners, the rivet for preventing spreading usually being applied at a point corresponding to the apex of the V-shape neck 3'. By my invention, however, the struck in metal constituting the neck 3 is formed integrally at all points with the top and bottom of the slider and by its shape the neck 3 strongly braces the top and bottom of the slider against spreading or other distortion. At the same time this great strength is obtained by the use of a minimum quantityof material, and the recess 3 is used to anchor the bail holder in position. The neck 3 also divides the interior of the slider into two converging channels which guide the cooperating fastener elements into interlocking relation, and the flanges 6 assist in this guiding of the elements and prevent their escape at the sides of the slider. It will be noted that the flanges 6 curve continuously from the enlarged rear of the slider to the narrower forward end at which the interlocked elements emerge,

, and this continuous curve, with the absence of any sharp change in the direction imparted to the elements, assists in causing a very easy movement of the slider on the elements. It will also be seen that in either of the forms of slider body or bail holder, but a single piece of sheet 'metal is required, and in the assembled slider there are just three parts, namely the slider body, the bail holder and the bail, all formed from sheet metal, the parts being assembled without the aid of any independent fastening devices and without the necessity of thickening the metal at any point. I

While specific embodiments of the lnvention have been shown and described, it is obvious that it is capable of modification, and in particular, it is not limited to the formation of the parts of the exact number or sequence of operations described, and I therefore do not wish to be limited otherwise than as is required by the prior art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A sheet metal slider for multiple interlocking fasteners comprising top and bottom walls rigidly united by a trough shaped sheet metal neck integral at all points with the top and bottom walls.

2. A sheet metal slider for multiple interlocking fasteners comprising top and bottom walls rigidly united by a trough shaped vertically continuous sheet metal neck integral at all points with the top and bottom walls.

3. A sheet metal slider for multiple interlocking fasteners comprising top and bottom side-flanged walls united by a V-sha ed vertically continuous sheet metal neck integral at all points with the top and bottom walls.

4. A sheet metal slider for multiple interlocking fasteners comprising top and bottom walls of sheet material rigidly and integrally united adjacent one end by a hollow medially struck in portion of the material.

5. A rivetless sheet metal slider for multiple interlocking fasteners comprising top and bottom side-flanged walls of sheet material rigidly and integrally united adjacent one end by a medially struck in portion of the material forming a V-shaped vertical continuous neck.

6. A rivetless sheet metal slider for multiple interlocking fasteners comprising to and bottom side flanged walls of sheet meta the flanges at opposite sides of the slider converging towards each other in a continuous curve from one end to the other, and a vertically continuous V-shaped sheet metal neck joining the top and bottom and integral therewith throughout, said neck dividing the interior of the slider at one end into inwardly converging channels.

7. A rivetless sheet metal slider for multiple interlocking fasteners comprising to and bottom side flanged walls of sheet meta said walls being integrally united adjacent one end by a hollow medially struck in portion of the metal dividing the interior of the slider into inwardly converging channels.

8. A rivetless sheet metal slider for multiple interlocking fasteners comprising top and bottom side-flanged walls of sheet metal the top wall having an inwardly enlarge locking recess, said walls bein integrall united adjacent one end by a hofiow media ly struck in portion of the metal dividing the: interior of the slider into inwardly converg ing channels, said struck in portion having integral sheet metal extensions at its open end, and a bail holder having one end interlocked with said recess and its other end disof the slider into inwardly converging chanv nels, said struck in portion having integral sheet metal extensions at its open end, and a bail holder interlocked at one end with said recess and having a shouldered extension at its other end disposed within said struck in portion, said shoulder and sheet metal extensions being interlocked.

10. A sheet metal bail holder for sliders I for interlocking fasteners comprising super-- posed complementary strip portions having their upper and end edges outwardly flanged, said portions having superposed complementary dovetail locking pro ections ad acent one end, and superposed complementary pro jections adjacent the opposite end, said last named projections having an integral con nection and a common angular lug extending from their outer ends.

.11. A sheet metal bail holder for sliders for interlocking fasteners comprising superposed complementary bail retaining elements, said elements having superposed cornplementary slider engaging means adjacent their ends, the complementary engaging means at one end being integrally united.

Signed at Vaterbury, county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, this 12th day of I May, 1927 EUGENE W. RUTHERFORD.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No.1 1,752,111

Granted March 25, 1930, to

EUGENE W. RUTHERFORD.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: misspelled word "vew" read "view"; page 2,

Page 1, line 49, for the line 63, for the word "about" read "above"; page 3, line 81, claim 5", for the word "vertical" read "vertically" and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office Signed and sealed this 3rd day of June, A. I). 1930.

M. J. Moore,

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

